Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

We're celebrating the international year of quantum science and technology! Next in our series, we hear from Gideok Kim, the head of our thin film technology group. He poses the question: what could one do, if one could building materials with atomic-layer precision?

Ministerium trifft Wissenschaft: Diese Woche war eine Delegation des MWK BW bei uns zu Besuch. Sie sahen unser neues TEM-Mikroskop, das Präzisionslabor und Forschung zu Batterien & Magnonen. Starker Austausch über die Bedeutung von Grundlagenforschung! www.fkf.mpg.de/8799173/2025...

Ministry meets science! This week, a delegation from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts BW visited us. They explored our new high-res TEM microscope, the precision lab, and research on batteries & magnons. Learn more on the great exchange at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8797801/2025...

Programmierbare DNA-Moiré-Supergitter: Neuer Gestaltungsspielraum auf der Nanoskala

von Quanten-Bausteinen bis zu weicher Robotik.
Ziel: Den Gestaltungsraum auf molekularer Ebene erweitern.
🔗 Mehr erfahren: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760252/2025...
#MoiréMaterialien #Nanowissenschaft

Statt Materialien mechanisch zu stapeln, wird die Drehung & Gittergeometrie direkt in die DNA „einprogrammiert“.
Die Strukturen selbstorganisieren sich zu Moiré-Mustern mit Nanometer-Präzision – inklusive Honigwaben-, Kagome- & Gradienten-Gittern. 🧩✨

🧬 Gemeinsam mit der Uni Stuttgart haben wir programmierbare DNA-Moiré-Supergitter entwickelt – und damit neue Wege eröffnet, strukturierte Materie im Nanomaßstab gezielt aufzubauen.
Veröffentlicht in Nature Nanotechnology.
#NanoTech #DNAorigami

Programmable DNA Moiré Superlattices: Expanding the Design Space at the Nanoscale

These programmable lattices could power advances in spintronics, nanophotonics & metamaterials — with uses from quantum scaffolds to soft robotics.
This is about expanding what’s buildable at the molecular level.
🔗 Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760008/2025...
#MoiréMaterials #Nanoscience

Instead of stacking materials manually, they encode twist angles & lattice geometry into the DNA itself, then let it self-assemble into moiré patterns with nanometer precision.
A new bottom-up method to build square, honeycomb & kagome lattices — even gradient structures!

🧬 We worked with the University of Stuttgart to develop programmable DNA moiré superlattices — unlocking an entirely new way to build structured matter at the nanoscale. Published in Nature Nanotechnology. #NanoTech #DNAorigami

We're celebrating the international year of quantum science and technology! Next in our series, we hear from Mahsa Zamani, who helps us answer whether quantum mechanics can be brought into new technologies!

Heard of Scanning Tunneling Luminescence? It combines atomic-scale imaging with picosecond time resolution to reveal charge & light emission dynamics in single molecules—using ultrafast voltage pulses and photon correlations to probe quantum systems. Learn more: www.fkf.mpg.de/6562102/04_S...

Durchbruch bei der Trennung von Wasserstoffisotopen Forschende der Tohoku-Universität, des Max-Planck-Instituts und internationaler Partner haben ein neuartiges Material vorgestellt, das die Trennung von Wasserstoffisotopen revolutionieren könnte –…

Kein reines Laborexperiment: Die Bausteine sind handelsüblich, das Design skalierbar. Ein echter Schritt zu nachhaltiger Isotopentrennung.
🔗 Mehr Infos: www.fkf.mpg.de/8755918/2025...
#Materialwissenschaft #MOF #Fusionsenergie #Quanteneffekte

Das MOF zeigt eine Rekord-Selektivität für Deuterium (D₂) gegenüber Wasserstoff (H₂) bei 60 K – es reichert D₂ von 5 % auf 75 % in nur einem Zyklus an. Möglich wird das durch Quanteneffekte & eine clevere Porenstruktur. ⚛️❄️

Wir am Max-Planck-Institut, zusammen mit der Uni Tohoku & internationalen Partnern, haben ein poröses Material (MOF) entwickelt, das Wasserstoffisotope extrem effizient trennt – entscheidend für Fusion, Energie & Forschung. #SciComm #Wasserstoff

Breaking Barriers in Hydrogen Isotope Separation A team of researchers from Tohoku University, Max Planck Institute, and international collaborators has  unveiled a new material that could transform how we separate hydrogen isotopes — a process…

It’s not just a lab trick — the building blocks are commercially available, and the design is scalable. A real step toward greener, more efficient isotope separation.
🔗 Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8755779/2025...
#MaterialsScience #MOF #FusionEnergy #QuantumMaterials

The MOF shows record-high selectivity for deuterium (D₂) over hydrogen (H₂) at 60 K — enriching D₂ from 5% to 75% in one cycle. This works thanks to quantum effects + smart pore design that traps D₂ more tightly. ⚛️❄️

🚀 New breakthrough from us at the Max Planck Institute, Tohoku Univ & global partners: a porous material (MOF) that separates hydrogen isotopes with exceptional efficiency — crucial for fusion, clean energy & research. #SciComm #Hydrogen

It was such a pleasure to visit and give a talk at the @mpifkf.bsky.social ... the "noise-free" Precision Lab (2nd photo) is truly impressive. Thank you to Bettina Lotsch and the @lotschgroup.bsky.social for hosting!

Gestern Abend setzten wir eine Tradition fort, die bis ins Jahr 1977 zurückreicht – die legendäre Kohl & Pinkel-Party! 🎉
Das diesjährige Motto war mittelalterlich – mit Rittern, Drachen und Zauberern!
Ein Abend voller Lachen, Legenden und einer neuen Kohl-Königin! 🏹⚔️👑
www.fkf.mpg.de/8759888/2025...

Last night, we continued a tradition that dates back to 1977 — the famous Kohl and Pinkel party! This year's theme was medieval, filled with knights, dragons and magicians! The night was filled with laughter, legend, and a new Kohl Queen! 🏹⚔️ Read more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8759364/2025...

Wir hatten diese Woche ein großartiges #SciComm Treffen! Es begann mit einer Führung durch unser Präzisionslabor, gefolgt von spannenden Einblicken in die Kommunikation durch Rollenspiele (vielen Dank an Tanja Desch für den Vortrag) und einem kreativen Austausch unter Kolleg*innen!

We had a great #SciComm meet-up this week at our institute!
It involved a tour of our precision lab, followed by inspiring insights into SciComm via role-playing games (thanks to Tanja Desch for the presentation), and creative exchange among colleagues! We're already looking forward to next time!

New paper just dropped in JACS! 🧪

How does CALF-20 actually changes its bulk structure when exposed to CO₂ & H₂O? Thanks to in situ lab X-ray diffraction, you can now check our latest insights! 👇

🔗 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#Chemsky

We're excited to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology! Watch Thomas Schafer introduce us to superconductivity - a key area of research at our institute!

Quantum meets comedy! 🎭🧪 Last night we teamed up with the improv group Kanonenfutter to bring quantum mechanics to life with wit, music & science. Learn about our night of laughter and learning here: www.fkf.mpg.de/8755194/2025...
#quantumyear #scicomm #improv

We mourn the passing of Prof. Hans-Joachim Queisser (1931–2025), one of the founding directors of our institute. A pioneer of semiconductor physics and co-creator of the Shockley–Queisser limit, his vision shaped generations. We will remember him with deep gratitude. www.fkf.mpg.de/8744972/2025...

22 talks. 2 days. 1 goal: designing the materials of the future.
From Kyoto to Stuttgart—our scientists gathered for the Japanese–German Symposium on Future Materials Design. We played hosted, while JST’s PRESTO program powered the event! Read more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8751400/2025...

This week, Anna Rosławska & Till Kuske represented us at the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. From boat tours on Lake Constance to talks on Mainau Island, they connected with young researchers worldwide. Big thanks to Baden-Württemberg for inviting us to this inspiring celebration of science!

We are thrilled to welcome Prof. Raphaële Clément as the Director of our new Electrochemical Materials Department!! 🎉🔋 She’s a battery innovator using NMR magic to unlock greener energy. Welcome to the @maxplanck.de, Raphaële! Learn more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8744352/2025...
📷 Photo credit: UCSB

Hot carriers hold the key to next-gen photovoltaics & photocatalysis—but probing them at atomic scales has long been out of reach. Now, we've collaborated with Politecnico di Milano to crack it with atomic-scale nonlinear spectroscopy in a single molecule. Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8724677/2025...